The board of directors of MBN UK have pleasure in inviting you to an MBN exclusive drinks reception on Tuesday March 26, 2019 at The Corinthia Hotel between 6.00pm – 8.00pm.

Venue: Nelson Room, Corinthia Hotel, Whitehall Place, London SW1A 2BD

The Hon Dr Christopher Fearne, Deputy Prime Minister for Malta, will meet with MBN UK members and confirmed guests and talk about the economy of Malta.

It is our pleasure to open up the invitation to friends and guests from the business community who would like to attend and meet with MBN members.

Numbers will be limited and preference will be given to MBN members.

Online registration is required for both members and guests. Invitations are being sent to all members. Guests are asked to directly contact events@maltabusinessnetwork.com.

Please note that attendance at this meeting is only against confirmation from MBN, and no one will be allowed in without an official invitation. You will also need to carry a photo ID for security purposes.

The Malta Business Network UK recently extended a special invitation to its UK members to attend a fundraising evening in aid of the St John Association, Malta at the magnificent Chapter Hall of the historic St John’s Gate, Clerkenwell, London, now the headquarters of the Venerable Order of St John.

The event, held on November 1, 2018, was co-hosted by the Prior of England and the Islands and Chair of the St John Ambulance, Surgeon Rear Admiral Lionel Jarvis, and the chairman of the St John Association, Malta, Dr Michael Frendo.

It was a unique opportunity to visit such a significant venue in the heart of London. The event was well attended by representatives of the MBN UK Board and members, together with Maltese business and professional people residing in the UK and British members of the Venerable Order.

The Malta Association was represented by Dr Frendo and by Chev Ray Cassar, member of the Association’s Council and chair of its fundraising committee. The deputy chairman and Commander of the Malta St John Association, Colonel Mark Mallia, who had also overseen the organisation of the event, was regrettably unable to attend at the last minute.

At the event, the Prior of England formally invested Dr Frendo with the rank of Commander of the Venerable Order of St John, a British Royal Order of Chivalry, of which Queen Elizabeth II is the Sovereign Head. Following this investiture, Chev Cassar delivered a brief illustrated overview of the history of the Knights of St John. Dr Frendo then delivered a presentation on the history and works of the St John Association Malta and the projects that required support and financing.

Chev. Ray Cassar, Chair of the Fundraising Committee, delivered a brief illustrated overview of the history of the Knights of St John

Three Maltese artists generously donated three works which were auctioned at the event. Joseph Baluci donated a painting of a procession of knights emerging from St John’s Co-Cathedral, Anthony Patrick Vella donated a painting representing a helmet, shield and a sword symbolising the military history of the Order, while a young artist, Jennings Falzon, donated a statuette, The Warrior Monk. All three works of art attracted a great deal of interest and were successfully auctioned to those present. The event was also supported by the Corinthia Hotel, London, Marsovin and Farsons.

We are delighted to have joining us as a guest speaker Armando Raish from Biotecture, who will be talking about living walls and sustainability. (http://www.biotecture.uk.com/) Biotecture is a designer and supplier of hydroponic, modular living wall systems, an innovative, UK based company, managing projects across the country, and working with partners in Scandinavia, mainland Europe, North America and the Middle East. Their vision is to transform urban architecture for the well-being of people and planet through innovative use of vertical greening. They work on principles of collaboration, integrity and excellence, believing that their shared expertise will bring the best results.

Image is from the http://www.biotecture.uk.com/living-walls/ page.

Please register online to attend – only registered attendees will be allowed into Malta House. Late registrations may not be allowed entry. Guests must either be invited or accompanied by a named MBN member. If you wish to attend but do not know any MBN members, kindly contact us at events@maltabusinessnetwork.com

Please note you will also need to carry a photo ID for security purposes.

Our Speaker for the June MBN UK Members’ Meeting on Tuesday 26 June 2018, is Liliana Reasor, MBN member and a FinTech / Blockchain entrepreneur, venture capitalist and ex-investment banker.

Liliana Reasor was recently on a speaker panel in New York discussing blockchain and new technologies. She will give us her insights on block-chain technology, its usage and application across industries, especially in the light of Malta’s digital strategy and our members interest in this new technology.

With 20+ years of experience in the FinTech and Finance industries, Liliana is now the the founder and CEO of SupraFin, the first global vetted token platform on the blockchain (www.suprafin.io). She is heavily involved in the FinTech / Blockchain startup ecosystem in Europe and is considered a FinTech / Blockchain thought leader. She is a regular FinTech / Blockchain speaker, panellist, investment judge and working group member at top global FinTech / Blockchain and finance events. She was selected as one of the Top 100 Global FinTech Women Influencers and Leaders in 2015, 2016 and 2017 by Innovate Finance. Prior to becoming an entrepreneur, she worked in the FinTech and investment banking industries (M&A, trading, capital markets, and corporate lending) at JP Morgan, Bank of America, Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley, and Moody’s Analytics in the US and UK. Liliana has a M.S. in Computational Finance from Carnegie Mellon and an MBA from UCLA.

Please register online to attend – only registered attendees will be allowed into Malta House.

Guests must either be invited or accompanied by a named MBN member. If you wish to attend but do not know any MBN members, kindly contact us at events@maltabusinessnetwork.com

Please note you will also need to carry a photo ID for security purposes.

The next MBN UK Members’ Meeting takes place on Tuesday 24 April 2018, between 6.30pm – 8.30 at Malta House, Malta High Commission, 36-38 Piccadilly, London W1J 0LE.

Our guest speaker is Ms Kirsten Galea who will give a brief overview of Weston Williamson+Partner (WW+P)’s portfolio of transport projects from the last 30 years’ experience – including a number of flagship stations such as the Jubilee Line Extension at London Bridge and Crossrail Paddington Station. These and other projects have acted as catalysts for regeneration, supporting new homes, leisure, commercial and cultural quarters.

WW+P have a parallel portfolio of projects that compliments and works hand in hand with their transport work. A master planning portfolio beyond urban planning projects is emerging with skill sets around the technical challenges of delivering new development on and around railways. These are predominantly TOD (Transport Oriented Development) projects that grapple with land use change, implications for established settlements and developing architectural typologies, which aim to address land use intensification and flexible development plot accommodation.

In her presentation Kirsten will also introduce WW+P’s most recent innovative project, an in-house parametric tool for master planning that will help WW+P’s master planners to quickly test options and instantly obtain data such as plot ratio, GEA, GIA, FAR, units per hectare, etc, which manually is usually extremely time consuming. This tool may be specifically tailored to our client’s requirements and allows WW+P utmost flexibility of going back and forth in the workflow.

All images used are courtesy of Weston Williamson+Partners.

Kirsten Galea

Kirsten studied architecture and civil engineering at the university of Malta and today is a Senior Associate at Weston Williamson+Partner (WW+P). She has been involved in the design stages of a variety of complex transport projects, including detail design and coordination at construction stage. Currently part of the London studio, she has also worked for WW+P in Kuala Lumpur, Sydney and Melbourne. Kirsten is a co-founder of Women@WestonWilliamson, board member of Women in Transport and member of NAWIC, pushing the envelope for women in Architecture, Construction and the Transport Industry. In 2016 she also made it into the RIBA Journal Rising Stars shortlist.

During Peter Manning’s talk at the MBN UK March Meeting, he talked about Malta 2020 and the association with The Victoria and George Cross Association. They are looking for assistance through donations and support. If anyone is interested please contact Peter Manning directly on peter@manningcamerata.com.

A powerful concert will be presented in 2020 at the Manoel Theatre, Valletta, Malta to honour the selfless valour and gallantry encapsulated by the awards of the Victoria Cross and the George Cross. These awards are the highest bestowed in the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth for acts of selfless valour (see extra sheet for more detail). The aim is to draw to the attention of a wider public the importance of these awards and concepts. It will also draw attention to this exceptional and beautiful island whose people throughout its history have suffered and endured so much as its strategic position has caused it to be the stage on which the future of Europe was fought over. The Island of Malta GC is one of two collective awards of the George Cross, awarded by King George VI in 1942 for the island’s stoic and dogged resistance to Hitler’s covetous and brutal bombardment.

The concert will feature the Malta Philharmonic conducted by Peter Manning. Opera superstar, Joseph Calleja and rising star Nicola Said will bring a selection of arias from the great heritage of Italian and German opera. They will share the stage with a local a cappella group who will showcase the music of Malta. Peter and the orchestra, with violinist Carmine Lauri (co-Leader of the LSO), will perform two English greats and the concert will end with the music of Russian composer, Mikhail Glinka.

The intention is that the concert will be filmed by Kriss Russman, film-maker and world leading live-event broadcaster, with many years’ experience working with the BBC’s Proms. Kriss is committed to the project. Following filming the concert will be edited for a 1 hour TV show that will be aired by TV Malta. It is also anticipated that the TV recording of the concert, once it has been aired in Malta, will be made available to be shown throughout Europe. Avenues for this are being explored.

It is also intended, to promote awareness of the gallantry awards, that four Video Taped (VT) inserts will be added to the 1 hour TV show. These will be 3 will be short films about living recipients of the Victoria Cross or George Cross and the final film will be of the island of Malta and its award of the George Cross. The VT of Malta will use the natural beauty of the island.

Funding is now sought to bring this project to fruition. This is a unique opportunity to be associated with philanthropy which draws attention to not only to the island of Malta itself but also with the prestige of the VC and GC Association and of the nature of the awards themselves. These awards are multinational to the extent that they are awarded throughout the Commonwealth. Her Majesty the Queen is Patron of the VC and GC Association and HRH The Prince of Wales its President, following the establishment of the awards by Queen Victoria and King George VI.

Donations and support will be acknowledged appropriately in the concert material to be agreed on an individual basis.

Supporting Sponsors Clintons, the award winning boutique law firm for entertainment and the creative arts

Featuring the internationally renowned furniture and interior designer from Malta, Francis Sultana, this is an exclusive opportunity for MBN UK members to meet him and hear him talk about his work. Sultana is based in London with an international client base covering Europe & Russia, USA and Asia.

He is the favoured designer of many of the world’s biggest art patrons, drawn to his use of noble materials, fine craftsmanship and luxurious finishes. His atelier and showroom are based in St James’s in the same building as David Gill Gallery, of which Sultana is also CEO.

Francis, who is from Nadur, Gozo, set up his studio in 2009 to create interiors for many of his major art collector clients. Francis is also the judge of both PAD and Masterpiece and sits on the board for the NSPCC Art Gala. He co-founded the Design Fund for the V&A and now sits on the International Council for the museum. He is also on the board of MICAS, Malta’s new museum project which opens in 2021 and will house Malta’s contemporary art & design collection.

MBN UK and Malta Tourism Authority are proud and delighted to co-host this exclusive event, which is also being supported in sponsorship by Clintons, the award winning boutique law firm for entertainment and the creative arts.

Attendance is strictly by invitation and registration only, and restricted in numbers. You will require a code to register. Preference will be given to fully-subscribed members and invitations to guests are only extended once members have confirmed. Should you wish to attend but have not received an invitation please email events@maltabusinessnetwork.com.